Rock on the Range: Noise Auction

Wednesday

How did Columbus rockers Noise Auction end up on the lineup for Rock on the Range, the country's biggest, baddest gathering of rock, metal and punk bands?

How did Columbus rockers Noise Auction end up on the lineup for Rock on the Range, the country's biggest, baddest gathering of rock, metal and punk bands?

"It was a matter of luck," frontman Tom Cline said.

Certainly good fortune played a part in it. Rock on the Range could be held anywhere, but it's here in their hometown. And a good word from a couple friends in high places helped the locals secure a set at 1:05 p.m. Sunday on the fest's Jagermeister Stage.

But conventional wisdom says you make your own luck, and Noise Auction has certainly been putting in work for the past six years.

Though the band has had a few detours and false starts since launching in 2004 with members of defunct Columbus rockers Cringe and Grip, the current lineup is poised to see its dedication pay off big time this year.

Yes, they'll play in front of thousands Sunday alongside titans of their genre, a major coup for any artist. But perhaps more important than Sunday's set itself is the way Rock on the Range has already raised Noise Auction's profile for all their other gigs.

Thanks to a "radius clause" in their festival contract, the band hasn't been allowed to play in Ohio since February. Already a hard-touring act, they took the prohibition as a catalyst to expand their range, hitting nearby states harder than ever. The Rock on the Range cache landed them bigger venues, more money and a deeper respect from fans.

"They look at you in a different light," Cline said.

One exception to the radius clause: Noise Auction has some acoustic performances lined up this week to promote their festival set, including several morning radio shows and an in-store at 6 p.m. Friday in the Hot Topic at Polaris.

The band has also been using its downtime to work with Sonic Lounge's Joe Viers on a new album they hope to have out by August, when they'll play another sizable Ohio rock fest, Woodshock. That fest, formerly based in Bellefontaine, moves to Legend Valley this year.

They also recently shot a video for their song "Beautiful Tragedy" at Kahoots. The song is a power ballad of sorts, their latest attempt to write a single that will help them catch on at radio stations across the country. The video, though, keeps up the raunchy rock traditions they're trying to preserve as part of a lineage that stretches from Motley Crue to Buckcherry.